CAIR: Groups to Challenge FBI Use of Anti-Muslim TrainingNew revelations show FBI analyst recommends targeting Islam as source of terror

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/20/11) -- On Wednesday, September 21, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will join a coalition of civil rights and Muslim advocacy groups at a press conference outside FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., to express concerns about persistent reports that agents are trained to view mainstream American Muslims with suspicion and to view the faith of Islam itself as the source of terrorism and extremism.

News conference participants will call for an investigation of the extent of the phenomenon and for internal reforms to deal with the issue.

The coalition news conference is scheduled following new revelations that the FBI apparently continues to employ an analyst who tells counterterrorism and security personnel "to go after Islam itself" and to "undermine the validity of key Islamic scriptures and key Muslim leaders."

That same FBI analyst recently told FBI agents that mainstream American Muslims are likely to be terrorist sympathizers, that the Prophet Mohammed was a "cult leader," and that Islamic charitable giving is a "funding mechanism for combat."

Last week, CAIR sent a letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller calling for "swift action" to reform the agency's use of anti-Muslim instructors and Islamophobic materials during counterterrorism training.

The agency released a statement noting that "corrective measures" had been taken prior to media reports about the anti-Muslim training, but civil rights groups questioned the effectiveness of those measures.

"Reports of similar trainings or the use of an Islamophobic trainer by an FBI and Department of Justice led Joint Terrorism Taskforce -- going back to at least 2009 -- raise questions about the speed and effectiveness of internal reform efforts," said CAIR Legislative Director Corey Saylor.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/21/11) –- A prominent national Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization welcomed the release today of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, the American citizens who have been jailed in Iran for more than two years.

Representatives of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) just returned from a trip to Iran undertaken at the invitation of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The CAIR officials were part of a delegation of American Muslim and Christian leaders that went to Iran to foster theological dialogue and to seek the release of the hikers. Delegation members included CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad and CAIR Board Chairman former State Senator Larry Shaw (NC), as well as Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Washington, and The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane, Episcopal Bishop of Washington and Interim Dean of Washington National Cathedral.

"We welcome the release of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal and hope the successful resolution of their case will lead to improved relations between the United States and Iran," said CAIR's Awad. "We believe the efforts of the recent interfaith delegation to Iran offer a positive example of bridge-building initiatives that may be undertaken to help promote mutual understanding and cooperation between nations."

He added that CAIR met with President Ahmadinejad and other Iranian officials about the issue of the detained hikers several times over the past two years.

Awad also noted that whenever CAIR representatives met with Iranian officials, they requested information about former FBI agent Robert Levinson who has been missing in Iran since 2007.

"We hope our government will now address the issue of Iranian citizens detained in the United States with the same spirit of compassion that resulted in the release of Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal," said Awad.

During their recent trip to Iran, the interfaith delegation met with family members of Iranians held in the United States.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/21/11) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today joined a coalition of other civil rights and advocacy organizations in calling on the FBI to eliminate anti-Muslim bias from the system used to train its agents.

At a press conference this morning outside FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., CAIR and the other groups expressed concerns about persistent reports that FBI agents are trained to view mainstream American Muslims with suspicion and to view the faith of Islam itself as the source of terrorism and extremism.

News conference participants -- including representatives of CAIR, the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, Defending Dissent Foundation, and the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Council for Social Justice -- called for internal reforms to deal with the issue.

"The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is deeply troubled by persistent reports that the FBI employs biased trainers and materials to educate its agents. We believe that just as good training results in good investigations, biased training will inevitably result in biased investigations.

"We are disappointed that the FBI has decided to frame as an isolated incident recent revelations that one of its analysts, William Gawthrop, taught agents that the Prophet Mohammed was a 'cult leader,' and that Islamic charitable giving is a 'funding mechanism for combat.' Unfortunately, it is not an isolated incident.

"Documents from 2009 show that the FBI's Law Enforcement Communications Unit promoted the idea that Islam 'transforms [a] country's culture into 7th century Arabian ways' and recommended anti-Muslim materials such as a book written by Robert Spencer, a notorious Islamophobe.

"Spencer trained the FBI and Department of Justice-led Joint Terrorism Taskforce in Tidewater, Va., in 2010. Responding to a CAIR letter, an FBI representative failed to address Spencer's anti-Muslim bias and instead merely said he was invited to train agents due to his status as a bestselling author.

"Wired magazine has already produced evidence that two months after the training that the FBI has portrayed as isolated, Gawthrop spoke at an FBI-sponsored event in New York during which he told law enforcement professionals to 'to go after Islam itself' and to 'undermine the validity of key Islamic scriptures and key Muslim leaders.'

"CAIR believes it is reasonable to question how individuals with such hostile views of an entire world religion could be placed in a position of responsibility that enables them to spread those biased views.

"CAIR also believes that it is crucial for the FBI to take swift and transparent action to assure the nation it serves that bigoted trainers and inaccurate, biased training materials will never again be used to educate its agents.

"The FBI should not downplay or minimize the negative impact of these episodes. FBI agents set an example for officials at many state and local law enforcement agencies. The FBI should take swift and transparent action to reform a system that allows bias to influence training."

The coalition news conference was scheduled in reaction to new revelations that the FBI apparently continues to employ an analyst who tells counterterrorism and security personnel to target Islam, not al-Qaida.

Last week, CAIR sent a letter to FBI Director Robert Mueller calling for "swift action" to reform the agency's use of anti-Muslim instructors and Islamophobic materials during counterterrorism training.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "It is better for a leader to make a mistake in forgiving than to make a mistake in punishing."

Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 1011

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CAIR CALLS FOR MORATORIUM ON DEATH PENALTY FOLLOWING EXECUTION OF TROY DAVIS - TOP

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/22/11) ­- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty following the controversial execution of Troy Davis last night in Georgia for the murder of an off-duty police officer.

Because of circumstances surrounding his trial and sentencing, Davis' execution captured worldwide attention. Seven of the nine key witnesses at Davis' trial later recanted their testimony. Some jurors say they have changed their minds about Davis' guilt. A man who was with Davis the night of the murder reportedly confessed that he actually shot the officer.

Ordinary citizens and prominent figures -- including the Pope and former President Jimmy Carter -- called for Davis' death sentence to be commuted.

In a statement issued today, CAIR said:

"This disturbing case demonstrates the urgent need for a moratorium on the use of the death penalty nationwide. As in this case, studies have clearly demonstrated that poor and minority defendants are more likely to be sentenced to death than members of the majority society who have adequate access to legal representation. Justice can never be served by the execution of the innocent."

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 9/22/2011) ­- A representative of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) yesterday spoke on a panel discussion about the importance of interfaith work and social justice at the annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation conference in Washington, D.C. (More)

NEW YORK (AP) -- The New York Police Department put American citizens under surveillance and scrutinized where they ate, prayed and worked, not because of charges of wrongdoing but because of their ethnicity, according to interviews and documents obtained by The Associated Press.

The documents describe in extraordinary detail a secret program intended to catalog life inside Muslim neighborhoods as people immigrated, got jobs, became citizens and started businesses. The documents undercut the NYPD's claim that its officers only follow leads when investigating terrorism. (More)

A group of Greater Cleveland Muslims condemned the FBI Wednesday, claiming the agency is hiring anti-terrorism trainers who view mainstream Muslims with suspicion and their faith as a source of terrorism.

American Muslims recently learned that a trainer at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., told 37 agents in a session six months ago that the prophet Muhammad was a "cult leader" and that American Muslims are likely to be terrorist sympathizers.

The FBI issued a public apology and said the agency would no longer employ that trainer.

Muslim and civil rights groups are speaking out against the most recent reports of Islamophobia in the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In a press conference outside FBI headquarters in Washington DC, speakers laid out their grievances.

Most recently, reports have found the FBI hiring agents for its counterterrorism training program who had a history of making Islamophobic comments. Remarks in training sessions include stating al-Qaeda isn't the security threat but Islam itself, calling the Prophet Muhammad a "cult leader", and alleging that zakat or required Islamic charity giving is a "funding mechanism for combat". (More)

Does the US government use British authorities to detain and question American citizens who don't want to talk to FBI terrorism investigators without a lawyer present? A recent case suggests as much.

Last week, Michael Migliore, a 23-year-old American convert to Islam, was nearing the end of a trans-Atlantic cruise from New York to Southampton, England. From there, Migliore hoped to continue on to Italy, where he has family and holds dual citizenship.

Migliore would have flown, but when he tried to, he discovered that he seemed to be on the US government's no-fly list. He believes this was because he was a casual acquaintance of Mohamed Osman Mohamud, the accused "Christmas tree bomber." He had to take a cruise ship across the Atlantic instead of flying. (More)

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif.--A Southern California councilman is being chastised for mentioning in a public meeting that he named his dog after the Muslim prophet Muhammad.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations has called on Derek Reeve to apologize for his comment at a recent San Juan Capistrano council meeting. The Islamic advocacy group says Reeve mentioned naming his dogs America and Muhammad during a discussion about a new dog park.

CAIR's executive director in greater Los Angeles says while Reeve has a right to free speech, his "distasteful remark" is unbefitting of an elected official. The city's mayor and another councilman also criticized Reeve.

An e-mail message seeking comment from Reeve was not immediately returned Wednesday.

The Orange County Register reports that Reeve said he named his dog Muhammad as a political statement. (More)

TEHRAN -- Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, the American hikers jailed in Iran on spying charges since 2009, were freed from prison Wednesday and flown to Oman for a joyful reunion with family members.

"We're so happy we are free," Fattal told reporters at Muscat International Airport in Oman. The 29-year-old Californians and a companion, Sarah Shourd, were arrested in the mountainous region straddling Iraq and Iran for supposedly crossing the border; their detention further frayed diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran.

Shourd, who was freed last year on medical grounds and is engaged to Bauer, was on hand in Oman to greet the two men as they ran down the stairs from the private plane that picked them up in Iran. (More)

Racing to meet the outstretched arms of their cheering families on the tarmac in Oman's capital, American hikers Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer alighted from the plane that had whisked them out of Iran, and reveled finally at the room to romp.

Bauer spun in the arms of his fiancee, Sarah Shourd, who had been set free in similar fashion a year ago. Fattal, of Elkins Park, gripped his brother, Alex, in an endless bear hug.

For 26 months, Fattal and Bauer, both 29, were imprisoned in Iran, which last month convicted them of espionage - charges that they and supporters all the way up to President Obama had denied - and imposed eight-year sentences. Their continued detention had further inflamed tensions between the United States and the Islamic Republic. (More)

As the international debate over Palestinian statehood takes center stage this week, a separate row over Arabs in American politics is brewing in Virginia.

A newly registered state political action committee has been set up to oppose Arab American David Ramadan's bid to win a northern Virginia seat in the House of Delegates, according to paperwork submitted to state election officals.

Ramadan is the Republican nominee running against Democrat Mike Kondratick in the 87th House District that covers part of Loudoun and Prince William counties. (South Hampton Roads lost that seat, most recently held by Norfolk Del. Paula Miller (D), during reapportionment.)

Opposing Ramadan is the Virginia Anti-Shariah Task Force PAC, a group whose Web site explains its mission as an effort to block "implementation of the radical, barbaric and anti-Constitutional" Muslim religious law in this country. (More)

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - 704 HTL Operating, LLC and Investment Corporation of America, doing business as MCM Elegante Hotel in Albuquerque, violated federal law by subjecting a Muslim woman to religious discrimination and to retaliation for opposing the discrimination, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed on September 21, 2011.

In its suit, the EEOC said that the hotel failed to accommodate Safia Abdullah's request to work wearing a hijab, a head scarf worn by Muslim women for religious purposes. In addition, the EEOC alleges that the hotel either failed to hire Abdullah or discharged her because of her religion and/or because she engaged in the protected conduct of opposing discrimination, including requesting religious accommodation. (More)

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

CAIR 'Cautiously' Welcomes CIA Probe of Role in NYPD Mosque Spying - TOP

(NEW YORK, NY, 9/13/11) -- The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY) today "cautiously" welcomed a decision by the CIA to launch an internal investigation into whether that agency broke the law by helping the New York City Police Department (NYPD) engage in widespread religious and ethnic profiling and monitoring of Muslim communities.

"We cautiously welcome the CIA's decision to probe its apparent cooperation in the profiling of an entire religious community, and hope the agency's investigation will be undertaken honestly and transparently," said CAIR-NY Civil Rights Manager Cyrus McGoldrick. "Constitutional rights and protections need not be sacrificed to ensure our nation's safety and security, and our law enforcement agencies must protect all Americans by investigating crimes and not communities."

McGoldrick said he would have preferred a third-party independent investigation of the issue.

He said an ongoing investigation by the Associated Press revealed that undercover NYPD officers in a so-called "Demographics Unit" targeted Muslim communities and houses of worship in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut with the assistance of individuals linked to the CIA.

NYPD officials initially denied the Demographics Unit existed, despite the AP's publication of an NYPD presentation that described the mission and makeup of the unit.

McGoldrick said CAIR, along with a coalition of other religious and civil liberties groups, recently called on the New York City Council and Mayor Michael Bloomberg to enforce a law that prohibits the use of racial or ethnic profiling by law enforcement officers.

He said CAIR also called on the Senate Intelligence Committee, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Department of Justice to take action in response to the revelations.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 9/13/2011) -- The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today called on the FBI to investigate an arson fire at a Sikh-owned store in North Carolina as a possible hate crime. (NOTE: Sikh men in beards and turbans are often targeted for discrimination by bigots who mistake them for Muslims.)

The alleged perpetrators reportedly spray-painted "911 Go Home" on the outside of the burned store. Officials say an accelerant was used to start the fire.

"No American should be harassed or intimidated because of his or her perceived faith or ethnicity," said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. "Because of the apparent bias motive of the perpetrators, we ask the FBI to add its resources to the state hate crime probe of this disturbing incident."

He noted that earlier this year, CAIR's Sacramento Valley chapter (CAIR-SV) offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual or individuals who gunned down two elderly Sikh men in Elk Grove, Calif.

Last fall, CAIR-SV called for an FBI investigation of an attack on a Sikh cab driver in West Sacramento. The driver said passengers made anti-Muslim remarks during the attack. Two men were later arrested on charges of felony assault and commission of a hate crime.

Hooper said that following recent incidents targeting American Muslims and their institutions, CAIR urged members of the Muslim community to review security procedures using advice contained in its "Muslim Community Safety Kit."

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

(SOUTHFIELD, MI, 9/13/2011) ­- The Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) today expressed concern over Michigan State Representative Dave Agema's (R-Grandville) endorsement of speakers who expressed xenophobic and anti-Muslim views at a hearing and rally at the Michigan State Capital Building today in Lansing.

Agema, who sponsored Michigan House Bill No. 4026 Occupational Code Bill, promoted views and statistics on immigration by the Federation of American Immigration Reform (FAIR), which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has designated a "hate group" for its ties to White Supremacists.

Saleem today asserted without empirical evidence that undocumented immigrants are a threat to national security and that sleeper cells are in Michigan, an Islamophobic claim similarly made by Agema in the context of immigration enforcement.

Also speaking at the rally was Oakland County Commissioner Jim Runestad (R-Waterford), who is the founding board member of FAIR in Michigan.

Supporters during the hearing made racist statements that immigrants bring diseases such as "tuberculosis" and "bed bugs" into Michigan, reflecting past statements of Agema relating to immigrants and disease.

CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid offered testimony at today's hearing regarding the need for comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level as well as pointing out to committee members the bias motives behind Agema's FAIR-driven legislation.

"Instead of introducing bills that will unite us as a state and attract investments, Agema is introducing controversial and xenophobic legislation," said CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid. "We call on Agema's colleagues within the state house to disassociate themselves from bias-driven legislation and from those who promote such bizarre bills."

Walid also noted that Agema is the sponsor of Michigan House Bill Ho. 4679 also called an "anti-Sharia bill," which has been resolutely condemned by civil rights organizations such as the ACLU and NAACP.

CAIR is America's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

CAIR: U.S. MUSLIM RELEASED AFTER DETENTION IN ENGLAND - TOPMatthew Barakat, The Associated Press, 9/13/11

McLEAN, Va. -- An Oregon man who traveled to England by boat because of his apparent placement on the U.S. no-fly list has been released from custody by British authorities after being detained upon arrival from a trans-Atlantic cruise, according to his family. ...

Gadeir Abbas, Migliore's lawyer with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, had challenged Migliore's placement on the no-fly list, saying he had been denied due process. Abbas was writing letters to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and FBI Director Robert Mueller seeking Migliore's removal from the list. (More)

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CAIR-OK: JUDGES ASKS WHY ANTI-SHARIA LAW APPLIES TO ONLY ONE RELIGION -TOPRobert Boczkiewicz, The Oklahoman, 9/13/11

DENVER -- Judges who will decide whether Oklahoma can ban Islamic law from the state's courts raised questions Monday about the effect of the ban and why it applies to only one religion.

"There's no mention of any other specific law," Judge Scott Matheson of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said during oral arguments about the ban voters approved in November by a wide margin.

"We just have Sharia law singled out," Matheson said as he questioned Oklahoma Solicitor General Patrick Wyrick, who argued in defense of the ban becoming part of the state constitution.

"The intent here was to exclude Sharia law and international law," Wyrick responded.

Oklahoma City Muslim Muneer Awad, with support from Islamic believers in other parts of the United States, claims in a court challenge that the ban violates the U.S. Constitution's protection for freedom of religion.

Another of the three appellate judges who will decide whether the ban will take effect, Terrence O'Brien, wondered if it would affect the preferences of people of other religions in child custody court cases.

Wyrick assured the judge the ban would not apply in those circumstances.

Awad's ACLU attorney, Micheal Salem, of Norman, cast the outlook in a different light. "It will only take 50 percent plus one to ban the next religion."

"This was a pre-emptive strike against a religion they singled out," Salem said. (More)

A guy named Tarek G. wrote a Yelp review of Houston's Petrol Station that included quite a tale: His to-go box, which included an un-American hamburger ordered so he could participate in the Satanic Islamic ritual of watching the Cowboys game, came with a drawing of a plane about to hit the World Trade Center and "Happy 9/11" on it. ...

The good news is that the owner of the Petrol Station seems to be a stand-up guy.

He tweeted: "We sincerely apologize for our employees actions, he has been terminated. We are ashamed to have been associated with this individual".

He also met personally with the customer and apologized. Tarek G. added an addendum to his review: (More)

Rep. Peter King (R-NY) stood by his past support for Irish terrorism during an appearance today before a British parliamentary inquiry into the roots of Muslim terrorism.

King, the chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, came under fire as a hypocrite earlier this year when he launched his own hearings into "domestic radicalization" in the American Muslim community.

Critics, including a civilian survivor of a 1990 Irish Republican Army bombing in London, called out King for being an unrepentant supporter of the I.R.A. King built his career in the Irish Catholic community of Nassau County as a pro-I.R.A. firebrand in the 1980s, and was even involved with a fundraising organization suspected of providing the militant group with money and weapons. (More)

It was a day when other, more wounded corners of the country were the main focus of attention. But Philadelphia did more than its share to mark the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks yesterday, as hundreds joined hands to mourn and remember.

At Rittenhouse Square, a circle of hand-holding strangers - from a young man in a Beatles yarmulke to a friar in a Franciscan robe - was the culmination of "Hands Across the Square," an interfaith festival and remembrance service. ...

Nearby, Fatin Guzlan and Sally Selim, of the Council of American-Islamic Relations, handed out dates, a traditional Muslim treat.

"We're here to explain that we're Americans, too, and that Sept. 11 was a double whammy for us," said Selim. "It hit us as Americans and it hit our religion." (More)